2352 Diary 26th Sept 2012 includes Romanzo Criminale and William Roache's ancestry

07.00 26^th September 2012. For the first time in a long while my mouth did not dry or become sticky dry overnight. This may be a one off although I hope it is not and due to using the machine for the higher level of hours per night now at 7.1. The setting was also low at only 3 which I shall keep for tomorrow night. I rose not feeling like going to sleep although the total hours in bed were seven and half compared to eight to nine over the past few days.

07.05 I watched the news on the rain easing along with the rivers but the threat of flooding remains with further showers, possibly heavy during the day but easing as the week progresses further. There was only a little more water than that when going to bed. The second item of the news was the disclosure that the police had interviewed the Maths Teacher and the girl several days before they left and that they had taken their mobile phones for checking. The sense that a lot of people are now attempting to cover their back and that the whole things has a nasty smell continues.

07.40 It is TV Digital switch over day for the North East and a full re tune was required which has been completed. There is a difference in the number of stations available between the two sets which is odd and suggests two aerials. The sun is out. I will complete yesterdays writing and publish with a bowl of mushrooms and tomatoes and then get myself up, go out for milk and grapes, and then tackle the back and contact the insurers as well as other practical activities.

11.50 I have achieved a lot so far with much more to do. Checked, published and printed the memory of the weekend watching Ellie Simmonds and the Paralympic Closing ceremony. I had a brainwave and checked out a separate battery charger for the Sony Camera and appeared to have which covers the batteries in questions for £12 postage from Amazon

I have got hold of a number Hitachi service and will get for Argos in moment and try and find out the likely cost of repairing the starter before deciding whether to junk and get another set with a Wii games console so that I can do exercises and play energetic game helping to keep me fit during the winter. Hit on he idea of bring down the old Coffee table as a stand with shelf for the time being. It is large and spoils the present perspective of the room but will do for the moment given the lack of use to-date and the practical use planned.

Went to shops with car and waste disposal to get rid of the remains of the desk chair and other bits and piece, sorted out the back again leaving the car out and. Prepared lunch southern fried chicken beans and tinned tomatoes. Went primarily for milk and £1 grapes which they still have in stock and they are doing a special on instant porridge at less than half price purchased four packs and will go for six more later. Changed new credit card pin number. Got four packs of the grapes but had to settle half milk.

16.30. Watched a major chunk of the speech of the Deputy Prime Minister to his party. His message we are now in government moderating the Tories and getting some of our key policies and programmes out into effect. Labour who caused the problem has nothing to offer. All talk of what happens after the 2015 election is a waste of time because the voting public will then decide. His only criticism of the Tory partners was on the issue of the environment. The loudest cheer was that he was bringing back Paddy Ashdown to chair the 2015 General election committee. His speech will not offend the Tories partners so help keep the Coalition going not will it be regarded as greatly offensive by Labour who he will more likely do a deal next time. However he will need to stop the depletion of votes and Parliamentary colleagues and this needs a significant improvement in the economy with substantial reductions in employment and real increases in wages to offer some compensation for the real cuts in services. I agree with the commentator who said he looked a leader who wished he could cancel this year’s conference and possibly next.

17.30 I have been able to catch up on episode three of Romanzo Criminale second series but to appreciate the significant developments I need to recap and revise what was written before. The fictitious crime drama series does follow actual events in Rome

’s crime history and the role of corrupt politicians, officials including the Security Services and secret bodies. The Crime gang whose history is featured in the two series was in fact a combination of two gangs of young men who dreamed of becoming big time and eventually controlled drug distribution throughout Rome, leading the high life of fast cars and gambling but also attempt to establish themselves through financial investments.

The first series ended with the leader of the combined group known as Lebanese who was rejected by his mother because of his criminality and is gunned down and suspicion falls on two brothers, why I cannot remember or if it was disclosed who killed him.

　

The first two episodes of the second and final series deals with the aftermath of the killing. Towards the end of series one Lebanese had become wild and unstable and with the second in command attempting to go straight because of a serious relationship with a young woman who had previously been the girl friend of his brother who he had worked hard to keep in college and out of trouble. The impact of the girl turning to Freddo led the brother to dropping out of higher education and taking drugs.

The death of Leban and the instinctive need for revenge results in Freddo abandoning plans to leave Rome with Roberta and to become unofficial leader. The gang are not members of the Mafia but have an arrangement as they have had with others including contact with the security services. What I am not sure is the extent to which Dandi the third of the most familiar of gang members was involved with a Mafia take over of Rome drug distribution. As his nickname suggests he is a young man with a liking for fine things especially Patrizia originally a high class beautiful whore but now runs a whore house for him with the help of her male gay companion so he can have her all to himself.

The complication is that the police detective Commissario Scialoja has a grand passion for her and she had shown interest in him. His hands are not clean and is regarded as a Communist sympathizer because his sister was part of a communist action group and who arranged to leave Italy when she was about to be arrested.

The Commissario picks up Freddo’s brother and holds him in jail knowing that there will be an attempt to get to him by enemies of Freddo and that Freddo will be forced into action. Freddo’s attempts to protect his brother in jail while he gets his lawyer to seek the release fails and the young man is beaten up and susceptible to pressure from the Commissario and agrees to wear a wire and attempt to trap his brother. This does not work and Freddo sends his brother packing.

Freddo is also at sixes and sevens with Roberta infuriating her when he abandons the trip away but she then gives him an alibi for the killing of one of the brothers thought responsible for Libanese‘s death. Later when she appears to waiver he sends her away knowing what he has to do and the likely implications, especially with the Commissario hot on his trail.

The second series opened with a flash back to how Libanese and two other formed the nucleus of their gang as boys. There is anger when they discovers that Libanese’s cars have gone and when they discover they have been taken by his father he is given the opportunity to save himself not by getting back the expensive ones but the Mini which they used in the early days. This is then pushed down a mountainside so that no one else can use the vehicle.

They also insist on the immediate liquidation of his assets in order to provide a funeral fit for a king but his mother rejects the money and one of his closest friends steals the coffin which he places in the best available so he and the other have a wake. They do this with special food and drink before returning the coffin to the mother and attending the formal funeral where the Commissioner also attends.

The police take the other brother to stop him being killed by the group and to test for evidence of his guilt but the secret power group delay returning the findings but let Freddo see a copy in order to enable the group to get their revenge and settle things. Freddo then agrees that Dandi as the driver and two other should undertake the assassination of the other brother once he is released from custody. When this starts to go wrong Dandi freezes from putting himself in the firing line to pick up the under fire other two who are wounded with one taken into custody. Dandi returns to Patrizia to lick his wounds having been approached to take over the gang by other interests. However he may not have bargained that one of the two others getting, an original friend and associate of Lebanese, getting away.

Freddo also tracks down to person who sold the brother the drugs and finds that she is a feisty female who points out the brother was an established addict in need and that she is best local distributor than all the others. Freddo’s makes enquiries and puts her in charge of the area previously managed by the Libanese much to the anger of another of the gang with whom the Roman group had previous problems.

In the third episode which moves the story significantly forward, the wounded Bufalo gets help and swears revenge of Dandi who abandoned them. This is backed up by the other member who is in police custody. Freddo refuses to sanction action against Dandi but instead orders him to kill the remaining brother in hospital. When the heavily guarded villain regains consciousness and looks as if he will survive the Police Commissario cuts a deal to save his life if he will provide evidence against Freddo and the rest of the Roman Gang, Her agrees but insists that neither he or his brother killed Lebanese. Freddo orders Dandi to take out the brother as his punishment and the price of protecting him against Bufalo. Dandi asks for help form I assume the Mafia (possibly his secret services) and they agree on the understanding that he will do a favour when next asked.

A fire at the hospital puts everyone including the police off guard and the murder suspect appears to have committed suicide jump out of the ward balcony. The Inspector had also failed to get direct help with the allocation of more men to watch the gang members in order to track down Bufalo. The Commissario presses the head of the anti drug squad to provide the men but they fail to provide anything of value except for a photo of the girl to Freddo and promoted within the crime organisation. They also provide a photo which shows a link between the Secret Services who stopped previous actions in communication with the gang. It is the Secret service who showed Freddo a file of a forensic test which appears to prove that the brother killed Leban. The episode ends with the admission that the forensic test was negative and they made up the report implicating the man who has now officially committed suicide.

The theme of second series is the disintegration of the gang following the death of Lebanese and because it is known that Freddo was on his way out and therefore lacks authority. Worse is to come when one of the gang resents that Freddo has appointed the girl to collect the money required to fund the next drug shipment because she is not yet known to the authorities as a gang senior. She hands over the money and then the man claims it is associates of her who stopped and rob him taking his credit card and other cash on him as well as haul.

When a transvestite attempts to use the credit card the gang member admits that he had gone with the individual for sex and was then held up by two obvious associates of her and only afterwards realised the extent of their haul. The Trans is found and taken and she reveals her companions who are shot in her presence but she is allowed to go to ensure everyone else knows what happens.

Bufalo manages to confront Dandi returning with Patrizia celebrating who quickly disarms his attacker, beats him up and leaves him to die in the street while he has sex with Patrizia.

20.20 I switched from watching Newcastle losing at Man United 2.0 in the League and all in glorious 3D to experience the ancestors of William Roache, the longest serving actor in a dramatic and comic serial entertainment in the UK, in the latest edition of Who Do you think you are? If he continues to play Ken Barlow in Coronation Street for the next couple of years he will become the longest performing actor in the same role anywhere having started in 1960. He served the army for his National Service and suffers from tinnitus from a mortar explosion. The Wikipedia mentions that his paternal grandfather was a Freemason interested in spiritualism, theosophy, esotericism and homeopathy. There is no mention of his maternal grand mother and her husband and these were the subject of the programme. What was uncovered for him proved the most interesting of all the subjects to date and the way the programme was presented maintained interest from start to finish.

His grand mother had the Christian name of Zillah Waddicor and re remembered as a child visiting her at the restaurant and tea rooms she ran in part of Alton Towers in the 1930’s which she had commenced shortly after the large countryside home of the former Shrewsbury Family was sold. Revisiting the now derelict Country house he was able to remember the room where he placed on his tricycle. He discovered that in fact a quarter of a million people visited the gardens which local business had developed from the grounds of the estate and that his grand mother had owned and managed a business which could provide up to a thousand meals at a sitting with arrange of sixteen lunchtime menu meals from 2 to 4 shillings. She had then developed the Old Mill by the station into a second restaurant. She was of only a handful of women who owned and managed businesses of this size given that after World War 1 the emphasis was on finding “ bread winner” jobs for the men, something which was ingrained in working class politics until the later 1970‘s.

The second extraordinary story is that he then discovered that she and her husband had run a small shanty shop on the Golden mile at Blackpool selling ices and soft drinks. Somehow she made sufficient money from this business to open the business at Alton Towers although the programme failed to explore how she made the move, given that until then the business was in his her husband name. In fact it emerged that the great grandfather had also operated the shanty shop as a medical electrician using the new interest in electricity given that homes and street lights used gas to provide gentle shocks to the hands and arms which was believed to have a beneficial effect on nervous conditions. In addition he had practiced the cult of phonology reading the bumps of the head. He had done this until this kind of seaside business was banned by the local council. He had then moved into the purchase of properties now several used as hotels so that when he died he left an estate of over £4000 worth as much as half a million in today money and more in terms of property values.

The interesting aspect is that the Will left his estate to one of his three grand daughters and this was explained that she lived with him and not with her parents. William then was told that his own mother had gone to live with an aunt when she was only three months of age and this helped him to understand why he regarded her as a cold person unable to express feelings about and to him. The mystery of this appeared to be explained by family understanding that the grandfather who described himself as a gentleman in one census never participated in the subsequent business and was rarely spoken of within the family. The belief was that he drank alcohol excessively and the fact that two his children were almost immediately placed with relatives suggests that he was abusive/ violent or something which made his wife give up direct care of her children despite appearing to William as a kind and loving person as well as he now discovered an amazing business woman.

There were many more questions I would like to have answered but this remains the most interesting of the latest series so far. I can even forgive Roache for being a public supporter of the Tory Party!

And Newcastle? They got a goal back but lost 2.1 Manchester United comes to St James Park shortly in the premiership, Newcastle also go to Sunderland for the Derby as well as playing in the Euro League and they just do not have the strength in depth to cope with such a programme

23.15 Time to wrap up but I post one before then.

2351 Diary 25th Sept 2012 The great Rain came and stayed

It is 11.40 September 25^th 2012 and the rains came and there was so much water in one of the three containers on the desk and floor under the rood alcove area at the desk where I work that I forgot to take a photo in the haste to get the a brim full washing up bowl emptied in case the rains cometh again. So far they have not and the soaked towels placed in the bowls to stop splashes are drying. The quantity was such that splashes had covered part of the computer keyboard so I had to go in search of another, the original with this machine and in fact better but covered in the dirt of use hence the decision over a year ago to replace.

I am comforted that the ceiling did not come down given the weight of water that would have accumulated and claims of a month’s rain falling over a continuous period of hours were not exaggerated. There are fears that the river Wansbeck at Morpeth will break its bank if more rain falls and some 90 homes have been evacuated.

It took time to get the computer working again as I had inserted the keyboard into the wrong connection first time round so two boot ups have been required. I am now torn between continuing this piece and want to move on to writing about the wonderful experience of attending the Paralympic games which I intentionally left in order to see if the impact at the time was being sustained in any immediate way on Television and other media. I am spurred on by completing the official questionnaire on my experience yesterday.

I had another good night in terms of length of Sleep Apnoea machine use followed by an additional sleep so that he average is 7 hours of treatment over the past two weeks and an addition couple of hours for the past week. This however requires application and periods of being uncomfortable especially when first going to bed and then on one or more wakings during the night. I begin to feel confident about saying I am now in control of the condition.

The checked the news to find out the impact of the rain in the North East and generally only to find that one new channel gave priority to the missing 15 year old school who has run of with a Maths teacher. As school friends are now talking to the media the Police and authorities have been forced to admit this not the typical case of an infatuation allowed to get out of hand and a panic attempt to be together by rushing over to the continent by car ferry, but appears to have been a well planned thought through decision on the part of the couple who have had a relationship for at least 7 months as they were seen holding hands on a plane back from a school trip to the USA all that long ago and the Education authority has admitted that it has been investigating the possibility of an unacceptable relationship for sometime.

(I will provide a significant update which changes my perspective later today later). Earlier I wrote the latest police statement was to underline the appeal of the girl’s mother to get into contact and to point out that these days it is less possible to disappear because of the digital footprints we leave via phones, credit cards and CCTV as well as publicity putting people on the alert. I suspect the couple have prepared for this and taken this factor into account. The longer before she contacts or they are traced the more my theory that they have prepared for this eventuality will be confirmed. The level of the publicity will make reconciliation between the parties difficult to impossible, especially if no offence has been committed and the girl had left the country willingly.

I am listening to a Classic FM disk of popular music including Beethoven’s 5^th Fauré’s Pavane, Swan Lake. Grieg’s Morning from Peer Gynt Suite, The New World Symphony of Dvorák, Handel’s Water Music and the Toreador Song from Bizet Carmen. Now to a new Blog on the Paralympic games at 11.45.

It is 12.15 and a break off from writing about the Paralympic to prepare a piece of battered fish with vegetables for lunch noting that it had commenced to rain again as forecast but as yet not over the desk although I am prepared.

It is 12.49 and I have got my on line Euro Lottery ticket and answered the GFK TV and Radio survey for yesterday’s programmes, checked other emails and noted that the rain is coming in again but drips rather than torrents. Now for food and watching the end part of Bargain Hunt

13.10 Enjoyed the meal and having some red grapes although will have it for tonight. The extent of flooding homes already flooded and others at risk, throughout the North East with transport severely affected with the East coast line in two places as well as the M1 in Yorkshire near Catterick dominated the 1 o‘clock news today with the Queen’s disclosed conversation, presumably with a former Prime Minister disclosed by the BBC re the Muslim Cleric being deported to the USA after the Euro Court did not give permission for referral to its highest appeal court.

I am confused by subsequent reports of how the info came to the BBC who apologised for the breach of procedure.

The hue and Cry for the couple on the run was relegated to third position using the same information as on the earlier reported Channel.

16.50 has remained dark and apart from a couple of hours around lunch time it has continued to rain and drip into the containers on the desk with an increasing number of flood warnings in the North East and in Scotland

17.30 As the rain comes in with increasing intensity I went outside and attempted to stop the flow without success putting the canvas on a major part of the area.

18.30 I have been watching local and national news the reason for the publicity in relation to disappearance of the school girl and the Maths teacher. The latest information is disturbing. First a retired priest was allowed to remain on the school governors after child abuse allegations had been investigated against him and another master was jailed for grooming pupils in 2009. There is an admission that the master was under investigation by the local authority although it has not been said if concerns were raised by the school or by other pupils and their parents. Relatives are reported to have said that they and the girl’s parents had no knowledge of any of this. The man is also reported to be married. There is an admission of no evidence that the couple are still in France which what I speculated and which given all that has emerged indicated that the running away was no impulsive action bur carefully planned over a period of time

21.00 Sky now is giving attention to the rain and flooding with a focus on the situation in Durham City, The second features is on the missing school girl and the Maths teacher repeating most of what has been said before, I have been listening the ear phone to Sunderland at the former Wimbledon club now at Milton Keynes as the MK Dons. Catermole is sent off again for a straight red tackle not even in his half. However they score twice to take the tie and into the next round. Martin O’Neill has won this cup twice as a player and twice as a manager. Leeds beat in form Everton. West Ham lose to Wigan and Crawley led until late goals see them lose to Swansea but the shock of the night that Villa held Man City to a full time draw and are leading 3.2 away as I write and ended winners 4.2. Newcastle are at Man U tomorrow.

22.00 I missed episode three of Ramanzo Criminale I think but not Later with Jools Holand which as the Beach Boys who are appearing at the Royal Albert Hall and Wembley this week amazing.

23 25 I have spelling checked my piece on the Paralympic weekend which included the closing ceremony and will now prepared to go to bed making ready the containers and towels. If I am up to it I will check the position during the night to avoid what happened last overnight. If the worse is over in the morning I will make a claim reply re the back Lane after checking the position around lunch time finish the two Blogs commencing one for tomorrow.

2350 Ellie Simmonds and the Paralympic Closing Ceremony 2012 visit

This is a retrospective memory of a fabulous weekend visiting the Paralympic Games to watch Ellie Simmonds swim and the closing ceremony. It is written on September 25^th 21012, two weeks after the weekend of 7^th-10^th September.

I now regret not planning to visit the games when tickets were readily available as the decision to go arose after winning £200 from a long shot bet that Chelsea would become European Champions. With the benefit of hindsight I should have made the Paralympics my main trip of the Olympic period or at least given similar consideration although in fairness I was governed by the escalation in accommodation costs and finding myself allocated two football tickets over a period of four days.

In the event I had to pay more than usual for accommodation and travel for my weekend visit back to Croydon but not significantly. I also booked a later train than usual which then arrived late because of signally problems and where the time was not made up because of further delays waiting for platforms which could take a twelve carriage train.

I was able to gain a seat where I could use my lap top and was able to test out the recently acquired internet on the move USB device. However I was yet to work out that in order to override the dominant source such as the British Rail service or that at the Travel Lodge you have to disconnect on the soft ware. It was not until the return train journey that I was able to listen for long periods without interruption to Five Live overcoming the electrical interference which prevented listening to the pocket radio.

I was able to reflect on what had been an amazing week until then. There had been some reaction to the Channel Four coverage of the opening ceremony when advertisements were included although inserted at points which did not affect the overall enjoyment of the impressive show. The problem for many is that they had been spoilt by the BBC with its dedicated channels for each sport and with the main channel bringing the highlight events without advertising.

Channel Four is a commercial station dependent on advertising and which in fact became a significant aspect in terms of promoting individual athletes and treating them as the professionals they are no different in this respect from those who are able bodied. The sponsorship of key individual also mean they will begin to achieve the financial lifestyles of the able bodied and play a part in t eh cultural life of the country alongside Dame Grey Thompson who has made it all the way to the House of Lords and to the sub committee which vets sports men and women for national honours

The main feature of the excellent Channel Four coverage was the use of disabled people as presenters, a feature which I would like to see continued. They had only three dedicated channels which meant it was not possible to view many of the sports live although given the return to school of children; it was unlikely there would have viewers to have merited the expenditure involved.

I did not watch the after show hosted by disabled people for disabled people and others which took an irreverent view with a nightly challenge asking questions you dare not ask setting new boundaries of what is and is not acceptable. I watched the show towards the end of Paralympics, the last I believe, and admit it was good and regretted not viewing before. Several Olympic teams stayed up after their bedtime curfew to watch, according to one report.

I spent a good twenty minutes trying to find a recording of the Opening ceremony to refresh my memory but without success and unfortunately I appear to have unintentionally deleted the recording made on the Sky box. Later I discover there is one on You Tube but by then I have written and moved on. I have only few visual memories with the opening sequence which had the great paraplegic philosopher and scientist Stephen Hawkings introduce the event with a powerful overview of human development and endeavour and an aerial moment where a number of former leading athletes including Lady Grey Thompson highlighted some of the key sports. The emphasis was on the role of science in promoting human development, on exploration of our world and of ourselves including overcoming barriers and challenges seen through the eyes of one young girl.

A full house was expected fort he opening event and it was quickly evident that those attending were going to show the same level of support for the British Team as happened during the Olympics a month earlier. To the credit of those submitting the bid and designing the Olympic Park, the stadiums and the accommodation had been designed for use by Paralympians so that only limited changes were needed to some stadiums to increase the space for those with disability and a feature of my visit was the huge special parking areas for wheel chairs and for baby and child carriages at each of the venues. It is possible these were also provided for use by spectators.

There was an early start on the Saturday morning with tickets for swimming and seeing Ellie Simmonds in her heat for the 50 meter freestyle event. She functions better in the long events free style and medley where she is able to make effective use of her powerful freestyle which more than compensates for the lack of starting drive because of her lack of reach due to lack of height and short turn arounds.

The day before had been exceptionally hot and two more days were forecast so I went only in shirt and trousers but taking my new GB Team bag with me. The journey into London via St Pancras and then on the Javelin train the Olympic Park was without incident although I forgot to get a photo of Javelin on my new touch screen photo phone and then decided to leave taking other photos until after the swimming event. Although the Aqua centre is the closest building to the main entrance getting to the entrance involves quite a walk and over a bridge as the stadium is raised on an island in part because there will be a public swim baths on the lower level or for use my the professional swimmers ass well as the main pools above. I thought the lower pool was where the Athletes warmed up but in fact many also used the main pool perhaps because of the overall numbers involved.

My seat was to one side away from the start and finish line where one bonus was that lights. one for first and three for third, come up with the touch of the competitors something which is not evident on the TV where the camera concentrated on the pool below. The downside from my location about midway up the top tier but at an aisle was the inability to see the large screen at the end of the pool on which there is information on participants of the race itself. We had a much smaller screen where it was difficult to read the result as well as into and one had to be guided by the British Flag and the flags of other participants alongside the names. The other draw back was the absence of information about contestants when because of number of the heats, two or three for each race category there was no time for individual introductions. Fortunately the British swimmers all wore red skull caps which enabled their immediate identification.

Ellie was already one of the undoubted stars of the Games as she had been in run up and with a large portrait of her on the side of a building at the shopping centre and visible from the Park. Unlike the able bodied she and the other swimmers lived up to expectations.

Ellie won the most extraordinary of races in her opening event the 400 meter freestyle where she was behind the young American woman who had won her appeal against being reclassified. Disabled athletes are not graded according to their disability but according to measured performance and then grouped so that in theory all participants in a particular category have a chance of winning. In this instance the young woman in question had recovered from a coma and was regaining strength and movement which led to reclassification. The reversal of the decision resulted in one of the most memorable swimming races of all time because the girl was well ahead in the opening length of the eight lap event. Fortunately Ellie was able to take back the gains made on the turn arounds so that as the final 100 metres of the four was reached she was within striking distance but it was not until last twenty or so meters that it looked she would be able to win which she did but only with her last strides towards the touching the pool end. Only the 80000 cheering on Mo Farah and the noise in the cycling arena equalled that on this occasion.

Ellie broke down in tear of relief and joy and signalled that unlike the able bodied this girl was here at the top for the duration. A few days later she repeated this triumph in 200 metre medley where from being way behind she took a commanding lead which she maintained. It was therefore not surprising that she could only achieve silver in her third event and then bronze in to 50 metre event final. Although she was able to win her heat by a long distance breaking her own world record so did the next two athletes in the second heat thus signalling how the final might end.

Camera men were located on terraced area across from my seating while the athletes then made their way to where journalists from different media stations were waiting to interview including channel Four and BBC Five Live Radio. I have mixed feeling about this aspect which is OK if an Athlete wins or achieves best performance however it must be difficult for those who lose or fail to do well.

The most moving and impressive moment of the morning was not the performance of Ms Simmons but a young man without legs from above the knee who made his way up on to dais without assistance for the dive into the pool. The pool at the winning end side away from me is flush with the water to enable athletes to get out without assistance if they wish. In his instance I had missed that he had arrived on his artificial legs which he had placed by the pool exit and which he now refitted before striding off to increasing applause as he made his way to be interviewed. Although I watched with amazement on TV as I have in previous years seeing the athletes close up and live was a very moving experience. Those who are visually disabled had assistants holding stick with flat material at he end to tap the swimmers to alert they were reaching the pool end. It was the visually disabled athletes who throw themselves in the air to long jump and hop skip and jump who impressed most of all for the courage mixed with professional ability. Final word of praise goes to Ellie has to be for Ellie who is only 17 years and still at school and already as Rio in mind.

I enjoyed a portion of fish and chips for lunch albeit expensive at £8.50 with a cool drink and visited the mega store where I acquired a hat for £2 which looked awful but stopped the sun frying my head. I then found somewhere in the shade before visiting the Orbit again where entertainment was provided because the queues in part made worse because of the number of people who were able to make a visit via the gate and able to go straight to lifts for a viewing.

The act on arrival was a young man singer song writer with a guitar with Tyler part of his name and a Facebook page although a quick search failed it did lead to discovering full You Tube recording of the Closing ceremony after repeated problems on the Channel Four Player. The young man finished his set and was replaced by an aging Mexican Band complete with Sombreros which they loaned to those who wanted to be photographed, I was unaware at the time that the group are well known from their participation in a video for Doritos usually associated with sporting and other entertainment programmes. Even later I found that they appeared in the film One Day. When making my way down from the top viewing platform to the second I discovered the group had come up in lift and were playing to a crowd and obviously enjoying their outing and determined to take the view.

It was such a clear day that I was able to some great photos compared to the rain and cloud of my previous visit. After the early start and with the heat I decided against staying for Live showing of the evening finals having checked that there were no last minute tickets on offer and made my way back to Croydon at leisure and had to lay down to recover after enjoying an ice cold drink and a ice cream. Later still refreshed and having watched Ellie get her bronze medal I enjoyed a starter of chicken wings and a pizza in the Travel Lodge restaurant and having had difficulties logging on in the room used the free service to check on emails and plan the following day.

The following morning I enjoyed a full English breakfast with Orange Juice, a cereal and the large helping of sausages, eggs scrambled, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms. This was followed with by two rounds of toast with blackberry jam and lashings of coffee. I was set up for the day.

The closing ceremony ticket was scheduled 7.30 so on the basis of other events where the stadiums were opened one hour before this I aimed to travel to the Olympic Park to arrive no later than 6.30 prepared to be early and avoid the rush than late. It remained a gloriously hot day but with and end expected to be close to 11pm, the opening had gone on later, and a problem with everyone leaving at he same time I was prepared for the cold and for the possibility of a shower. I had checked that my key ticket worked as I anticipated arriving back between one and two am.

I cannot remember when I set off although it was close 5 than 5.30 pm and I was able to get a good seat as well as on the Javelin which was full but nothing like as crowded as on the previous day. I was struck by the crowds queuing at the restaurants between the shopping centre and the main entrance to the Park. This suggested people eating after shopping or my likely that I was indeed early or as it transpired the show did not in fact begin until 8.30. There nevertheless a large crowd making their way or so it seemed to me and therefore I concluded I had not left too late.

According to plan my entrance was on the far side of the stadium opposite to the Orbit which meant going past the bridges closest to main thoroughfare, however although people were progressing past entrance C when I and other went further a one of games Makers advised we could not go no further and an to use C It was only after reaching area below my seating did I appreciate there was direct access to the bridge for vehicular traffic for the Olympic Committee, the VIP’s and the entertainers. There was also a bridge with direct access to the Olympic village for the Athletes. As I approached the particular numbered entrance for my ticket I reached the VIP and Media entrances which contrasted with the rest of the stadium with attractive doorways with attendants. I was directed to an outside stairway which took up to the upper tier which I anticipated but only to find that I had also been allocated a free standing chair against a long media desk with electrical and internet points beneath but with room for ten people in an area where in the rest of the stadium there would have been twenty, moreover in addition to the depth of the desk there was plenty of room behind for passage and There was also uninterrupted view into and across the stadium because of the banking so one had to bend over the desk to see those sitting immediately below and behind there was separate boarding at the top of which was a band of lights whereas in the rest of the stadium these were place between the seats. There were perhaps a bank of half a dozen more levels between me and the roof space and other side were media/stadium control boxes fitted into the roof space. The area of the desks space extended on either with a length of at least 50 meters if not more.

When I arrived close to seven there were only a few thousands inside and Jon Snow in the TV programme which reviewed highlights of the games before ceremony said there were about 12000 in place by 7.30. There was entertainment via an exceptionally loud audio system and films on two screens below the roof level across from where I sat with no doubt two above me at either end of the arena from where I was sitting.

There was also opportunity for the Athletes to make their way into the stadium from two entrances and then to four large areas of seating within the athletics field with the former running track outside them covered for use by large vehicles and to hide the electrical connections for the lighting attached to their searing. They therefore had a good view of the ceremony reminding of the way members of the public were part of the opening event for the Olympic Games. Given that the last event in the stadium occurred the evening before there was work during the night and some rehearsing in the afternoon and during the pelimins with use made of vehicles made into fantastical contraptions as well as created stage areas with one for the main music band Coldplay who were an intrinsic part of the event coming on some 40 minutes after commencement and continuing to perform during the next two hours. I am not a fan of the band that are loud and without the kind of well known and enjoyable numbers which a host of other artists could have provided. What those from a number of other nations made of it I can but speculate?

In the build up I was joined by two and then three ladies to my right and by a single girl to my left whose photo I took for her on her camera. As the evening progressed it was evident that some of my neighbours had not come through my route but from other ticketing sources I was provided with a double sided programme of the event passed on by one of the neighbours from stewards and among the last in his possession so that others at our level and higher up and some below went without.

The programme is in the form of letter from Kevin Gavin the Artistic Director, He explains that throughout our history fire is seen as symbol of beginnings and ends and the Festival of the Flame celebrates the extraordinary journey that commenced seven years before when it was announced that London was to be the host city for both games in 2012 and comes to a joyous spectacular end on the night.

The nation that is the British nation is associated with Festivals from harvest to music, comedy and film festivals. I like the concept of festivals and regret not participating when I was younger. Now the concept remains a good one but I would to have the funds to be able to participate in relative comfort and I am not sure I could cope with prolonged intensity.

Mr Gavin said that the Festival of the Flame played tribute to gatherings which infuse the spirit of the nation drawing on the ever changing seasons that define us (although given the weather over past 24 months our seasons appear to be merging or in the case of summer non existent). The event is intended to celebrate some of the ancient and modern traditions that have gathered down the ages. He gives a special mention to the participation of Coldplay as part of a cast of nearly 2000. There would be tributes to the 70000 volunteers with some 1300 in the stadium on the night. The last sentence asks that the last person in stadium turn out the lights.

Situated across from the Orbit it was great to see it lit up at as the night and I felt a great sense of once only occasion never to be repeated and pleased that I had managed to visit both key stadiums before they are changed. The wings of the swimming stadium are to be removed while the future of the main stadium remains uncertain with a number of bids including from West Ham United. It would be a pity if London was not to retain a major Athletics stadium in the capital as that at Crystal Palace is OK but not World Class. The problem is that with Wembley stadium for football and associated big sporting events and Twickenham for Rugby Union there is no need for another huge stadium although Spurs with ambitions to join Arsenal and Chelsea made a bid. The obvious candidate is West Ham a club with a good local crowd but in small playing area stadium with spectator’s right to the field with a feeling of being close to the action. This is difficult to achieve with an athletics track and a large field for Athletic events plus long jumps, water jumps and such like. It has also been stated that the stadium and Park site is also being considered for a London based Grand Prix event. There is already talk of a London street race taking in some of the main sights of the Capital.

The opening section of the ceremony is headed Windstorm with machine blowers and vehicles fantastical designs entered the stadium. The youngest son of the Queen as patron of Paralympics was joined by the Chairman of the governing committee in a vehicle with an attached platform for the singing of the national Anthem by someone who is blind, Lisa Hermans, and who also suffered from Autism. Two former soldiers wounded and disabled also participated in the section Raising the Flag and is designed to honour servicemen and support Help for Heroes. This is not as incongruous a section as might be first thought given that the Paralympic were started in the UK in 1948 alongside the Olympics games in London the hospital for spinal and other serious injuries to soldiers in the Second World War.

The Heart of Many Nations

was led Rory Mackensie on a raised platform some 40 feet above the stadium ground, a former army medic, was recruited for audition after he had undertaken several daring adventures since losing a leg in a roadside bomb at which an 18 year old colleague died. He has leaned to Ski and participated in a crossing of the Atlantic, rowing, and in race conditions. The Flags of the 164 Nations entered the stadium and later left. There was much endeavour in the centre of the arena while this was taking place so that before the section Truck Invasion what is described as crop circle took fire and the smell of firework powder filled the air. It was then a large number of fantastical trucks entered the stadium and which I will see close up when I view the whole of the ceremony on You Tube.

In Spirit of the Games Dr Whang Youn Dai, a champion of the Paralympic Movement presented award to two Paralympians, then five Paralympians gave presents to five games making volunteers and the six new members of IPC Athletics Council were introduced. It was then time for Coldplay to arrive for Autumn with a four number set which included Us against the World and Up in Flames. They played three further numbers to mark Winter with movement and dancing elsewhere in the arena.

The British Paralympics Orchestra and Rihanna elevated on a wire participated with Coldplay for Summer which included their most well known piece to me Viva la Vida. It was then time for the handover ceremony of the Olympic Flag by Boris Johnson the London Mayor to the Mayor of Rio with a great cheer for him. With the raising of the Brazilian Flag and the playing of their national Anthem, As in Beijing, it is then the host city for 2016 which gives a taster called Joy. This included a group of four blind young women who have been trained as ballet dancers and who were interviewed on the TV the night before.

The evening then drew to a close with the Final Flame as Sir Philip Craven the President of the International: Paralympics Committee and Lord Sebastian Coe Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee made speeches before the Cauldron was extinguished with one of those involved Ellie Simmonds. Throughout the evening there had been much use of fire as there was during this part which ended with Cold Play, Rihanna and Jay Z involved with Run this Town

Coldplay continued to play during the Firework Finale and at one point there appeared to be a roof over stadium of fire works. Given that I was located furthers from the Javelin Train, I therefore start to make my way before the end but by the time I get down and start to make my way round the inner circle everyone else commences to make their way. I walked fast rather than run and decide against going to the toilet which fortunately I had done before the start and making my way up.

I continued a fast walking pace through to the queue for the station where I was held up just before the entrance was insight and alas there was to be a long wait of half an hour before the next train. The enthusiasm of the Games Makers at this hour was extraordinary and I wondered what time they would be getting home.

Having moved to the front end of the platform on reaching St Pancras I was able to catch the next train to East Croydon with a number of others which came in within moments of reaching the platform. This was about a quarter to Midnight. It will remain a matter of conjecture if I had taken the advised route to West Ham Station or a line from Stratford to central London and Victoria if I would have arrived in East Croydon sooner. Certainly those waiting on the Platform at London Bridge were in panic as there appeared to be no room on the train with cries of concern at the doorways from within the train as it set off. There were also lots of tired people waiting for train connections at East Croydon as his majority of those leaving the train headed for the trams and buses. Despite the delay at Stratford International I was at the Travel Lodge around 12.30 which was amazing all things considered and earlier than I had anticipated as a started off at the end of the event.

While finding myself with a space, a chair at a desk was interesting and provided an excellent viewpoint. One felt separate from the majority of those in there stadium and the younger ones who wanted to dance appeared self conscious in their comparative isolation.

The following day I packed leisurely and made my way without a rush back to St Pancras over to Kings Cross when I found a seat and listened to preparations for the Victory Parade when a huge fleet of vehicles would take all the British Olympians in convoy according to participating sport with Paralympians and Olympians. Although I had some difficult starting off and one point later I was able to listen to Five Live throughout most of the Journey and at Newcastle station I was able to see something of the end with the fly past in the bar alongside the main entrance. I needed to get home to shop and for Newcastle on the telly later. I will write further on the legacy issued sand on the individual athletes and their success as I have still to do for many of the Olympians.

2349 Diary Sept 24 2012 The rains cometh and I listen to George Smiley A Murder of Qality

It is noon on a frustrating and miserable weather Monday September 24^th, 2012.

It is now 12.30 having had to spend further time with sorting out the computer printer relationship after a page got stick in the printer, All the usual actions to return to printer normality failed so I had to reboot the computer and then found that the printer performed operations which had been locked out before and with resulted in printing the album edition of the last published Blog twice, after an earlier printing when I had forgotten to ensure it was printing in black only and not using colours where previously problems had resulted in some cartridges not being recognised by the machine.

 

The only positive is that the forecast torrential rain and storm winds have not struck although this doe snot means that they will not come later. The consequence of the delays and sleeping through until 9 am is that I am six and sevens and will have to take myself in hand to turn the day around and achieve what had been planned upon waking.

13.40 Just enjoyed completing a long questionnaire about the Olympic Games Experience and now cooking a pork chop with vegetables from frozen. Will get myself ready to go out after completing some work chores and some writing for a good shop after defrosting the freezer. I must write up my visit to the Paralympic Games

 

14.45 I have previously mentioned problems with one of my credit cards which the company without prior notice decided the best solution was to issue a new card, so the one being used was permanently blocked, fortunately I had another card with me, and then the code arrived but not the card until this morning. I had a merry time trying to work out how to activate on lien and then discovered that while I can view the code I cannot change it on line but have to go to a cash machine which means I have to remember the new code anyway or write it down. Hopefully that is not sorted.

It continuing to be that kind of day as for some reason I turned the gas off after it was on so that when I went for the pork chop and veg, while the veg was ready the pork chop remained uncooked and had to eat later. It reminds of the night when I went to bed recently and first left the phone downstairs and then the mask which I had taken down for a clean and a third visit although I cannot remember the reason except that I came down three times.

I have also being dealing with the subsidence issue in the Back Lane but more on that after I get the promised call back although given previous experience I will not hold my breadth and will go out for a good shop regardless and take the opportunity to change the card code despite the weather with the wind seeming to be gathering some pace.

The good news is that there appears to be no change in the car insurance and breakdown service charges for the coming year and I still need to check if an allowance for being a member of a particular union has been taken into consideration. We live in hope. Now it is time for some Montalbano my favourite of favourite European police detectives, even better that Wallander, Maigret, Poirot and the rest. I have not yet got to read the books recently acquired.

On impulse I decided to listen to another of the BBC radio plays on the Le Carré books on George Smiley A Murder of Quality written I suspect when Le Carré was unsure which direction his character would take as it does not concern the world of spies and the London Circus but a who dun it in which the plot is fairly stock and at times difficult to take in a first hearing. George had required and living alone when he is contacted by a war time circus colleague who edits a religious newspaper and who has received a letter from a woman fearing her husband was trying to kill her who is the wife of a master at a public school called Calne (the spelling is mine) and where the brother of another former colleague also teaches. His contact sounds rather like Connie of later books

In addition to Simon Russell Beale in the role of George Smiley it features Geoffrey Palmer as the master at a public school called Fielding whose brother George regarded as a friend.

He agrees and telephones Fielding only to find that the woman has been battered to death and that a local lunatic is suspected and has gone on the run. He then contact the police who pouts him touch with a local Inspector who he meets the following day to hand over the letter that had been received. The inspector as in the first book where he meet Inspector Mendal is more than willing to seek the advice of George and then his direct help as the public school is a closed community with little contact with the outside world.

The first problem is to determine motive but as the play progresses it emerges that the dead woman although religious was more than harmless gossip but someone who enjoyed hurting and controlling people, with a temper and as it emerges capable of blackmail where she realises that one of the masters at the school, George’s contact no less had been involved in a homosexual offence appearing before magistrates one of whom was her father although how she was able to make the connection is not disclosed. While the attention of the police does switch to the husband who is arrested when comes to see George whom is amazingly free with giving his address in addition to phone number to strangers.

The local woman described a lunatic is indeed funny peculiar and frightening to those who do not understand and mental illness and to some who do. She appears implicated where she has possession of costume jewellery belonging to the deceased and a coat which the woman had collected for a charity proving clothing to Hungarian refugees, a cause which the white was closely associated and sent regular parcels of those she had collected. She is not involved.

The man responsible for the death her is in fact Fielding. He was brought back to the school at the end of the end of World War II by the head on the basis of being temporary without a contract and this had remained the position which meant he would not receive a pension. The woman and tormented him and he had planned to get rid of her and implicate the mad woman unaware that she written the letter about her husband.

He was also responsible for the death of senior school boy academically struggling but a cellist with promise. He had looked into a music case and seen clothing which the murderer and used had used and then sent to the Refugee Committee in the hope.

There was some philosophy about the relatively of truth and the way UK society was changing from an era when gentlemen had worn evening dress and ladies special dresses and social behaviour was clearly defined and the subject for comment if individuals failed to conform or appreciate standards. The more I have reflected on the play the more I find it is of no consequence as I suspect the book. The only interest is the involvement of George as an interlude when it appears he too little to do other than reflect on his past life and the failed marriage.

To contact and find that the woman was battered to death after having a meal with her husband with Fielding. Through a contact he is put in contact with an Inspector Rigby appointed to investigate the case. A senior officer at the station attended the school and is interested and there are various oddness, including that although she said she had not contact someone at her local church she mentioned her fears but not more two weeks before she had written to the journal edited by Georges former friend.

He takes the letter to the Inspector and agrees to give advice because the school is a closed community to the local community. Who hated this woman to kill her? He muses to his former colleague

23.50 The rain is coming in on the desk although I prepared well I am concerned what will happen if it continues for any length of time given the forecast that it will do so through the night until the morning with a month or more rain falling